Yesterday's top news story was that Amy Winehouse was found dead in her London apartment. Reactions have been mixed, from total shock to a collective shrug of shoulders from many who weren't really surprised. And why should anyone have been surprised? Her song "Rehab" made no bones about the fact that she had a dysfunctional relationship with drugs and alcohol. She was 27. Although the cause of her death is yet to be determined, one cannot help but wonder if she suffered the same fate as her musician predecessors whose untimely passing also coincidentally happened when they were 27. Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison and Kurt Cobain will be forever 27. Sadly, so will Amy Winehouse.
Amy was by no means the model citizen or celebrity. While in a drug-induced stupor, she was recorded singing a reprehensible little ditty peppered with racial slurs. Recorded by her husband no less, it somehow landed in the hands of the now defunct News of the World. As recently as a month ago, Amy stumbled on stage after showing up late to her own concert in Belgrade, obviously under the influence. She greeted the crowd with "Hello Athens!"
I'm sure there are many stories out there to justify why anyone would need to feel anything other than indifference or, at some deeper level, even satisfaction in her death. Yes, Amy was a flawed human being. She made many mistakes. She may have made the ultimate mistake which may possibly have ended her life. But who among us is perfect? Do we feel the need to think thoughts such as "She deserved to die" just so we feel better about ourselves by comparison? What happened to our compassion? The empathy, where did it go? I am not judging anyone, least of all Amy herself. I am just wondering where we lost our sense of humanity and when our hearts became so hardened.
Amy's untimely death has caused people to be reminded of her songs. "Rehab", of course, but also "Back to Black". Then there's "I'm no Good", the one that shot her to fame. I think of "Dust in the Wind" by Kansas. It came to mind yesterday when I first heard the news. It has stayed with me since. No matter the length of one's life, it is never long enough. It is fleeting, it can be gone in one breath.
Rest in Peace, Amy Winehouse.
I close my eyes
Only for a moment and the moment's gone
All my dreams
Pass before my eyes, a curiosity
Dust in the wind
All they are is dust in the wind
Same old song
Just a drop of water in an endless sea
And all we do
Crumbles to the ground though we refuse to see
Dust in the Wind
All we are is dust in the wind
Now don't hang on
Nothing lasts forever but the earth and sky
It slips away
And all your money won't another minute buy
Dust in the Wind
Everything is dust in the wind
1 comment:
Everything in this world is dust in the wind. But even the earth and sky do not last forever. Jesus said, "Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away." A bold statement from a man who was observed to be alive three days after he was brutally murdered; a man who claimed to hold eternal life in his hand, free for the taking by those who trust in him. Yes, we all make many mistakes, and compassion and mercy need to be our banners. But we must also learn from the mistakes of ourselves and others; even the mistakes that Amy made. We must warn the hard-hearted to not make the ultimate mistake - that of spending an entire lifetime without investing in things that are eternal. Who wants to enter eternity broke? Or even worse, to be counted unworthy of eternal life. It's not about how many mistakes we make. But it is about whether we change our minds about our mistakes, and turn around and start loving like Jesus commanded. The true definition of hard-heartedness is a person who time after time refuses to turn from wrong living, until their lifetime has run out. I can't speak about Amy's life, because she's no longer here to learn from anyone who would exhort her to change. Nor can I speak of Amy's eternal destiny, for God is merciful and wants nobody to perish, and he may have been able to reach her before she died. We can only speak about ourselves, and what we are going to learn, and how we are going to change in our hearts, and what we are going to do about it.
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